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Is Google Making USupid By Nicholas Carr

496 Words2 Pages

In the last twenty to thirty years, a vast surge of technological innovation has swept over the world. The internet is a giant collection of databases stored all over the world, allowing anyone with a computer and internet access to view virtually their heart desires. Today the internet has blown up into a juggernaut of political activism, business schemes, and freelance writing. In his 2008 article entitled, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” published writer Nicholas Carr goes to the depths of the current global debate regarding beliefs that the internet has changed the way humans think. As Carr asserts, the internet has begun to negatively affect how people think, from distractions in online articles, to creating negative shortcomings upon users’ …show more content…

Carr cites multiple experts, and views from the opposing side in his argument. This balances the article and brings fairness to his bias. Carr references multiple respected historical figures, and their opinions of technology. Carr utilizes Plato’s Phaedrus, where Socrates “bemoaned the development of writing” (326). Socrates was fearful of the future that mass writing may hold, as people came to rely on writing instead of carrying knowledge in their minds. Carr cites Socrates’ opinion as important and it develops credibility for Carr, because it shows the concerns respected figures had about its effect on the public as each revolutionary technology became popular. Additionally, Carr mentions his personal experiences with the internet and technology to further his credibility as a knowledgeable writer. Carr writes about how he easily used to read long stretches of prose for hours without getting tired, but now he cannot concentrate after reading a couple of pages at a time (314). Carr ponders on why his attention span is getting shorter and links it to his increased use of the internet. As being a credible writer about the issues of technology and the internet, Carr feels confident that he and other people worldwide cannot concentrate on long readings due to the ease of reading on the

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